Day 103 - Abducted by Aliens

Who are you and what have you done with my husband?

In the same day, my husband, whom I often refer to as "Daddy,"

1.) Offered to babysit the kids so that I could get out of the house and socialize with my adult friends

2.) Called me from work JUST to tell me that the chicken that I had grilled the night before was absolutely perfect and very delicious

3.) Only called me one time while I was spending time my friends (and it was only to verify the amount of medicine to give to Lil C, so it doesn't really count), and

4.) Had the dishes done and the kitchen cleaned when I got home.

Suspect, I tell ya, but I'll take what I can get.

He might actually feel bad for me since I've been stuck inside for 7 days with sick kids, or he might be seeing signs that I'm about to crack and he'd rather take the offensive and be proactive than be on the receiving end when I actually DO crack.

No, I didn't work out today. I DID, however, do 20 kitchen counter push ups at the BFF's while her hubby opened a bottle of wine for me. I can't really count that as exercise, though. I was just warming up for my 8oz bicep curls.

On an AWESOME note, I'm down 10 lbs. Yep, you read it correctly. 10 lbs. AND, my belly button ring has come out of hiding. I'm celebrating by wearing a tube-top tank today. Yay me.

Photo is of my jeans. I think it might be time to retire the fat jeans and go shopping.

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Day 75 - Golf

I haven't played golf in months, so shooting a 117 wasn't too shabby for me.

For the past 3 years, my mother has always arrived before everyone else and picked up the tab. Well, today, I arrived before SHE did, so I took the opportunity to pay for her round of golf today. It's the least I could do to try and make up for the past 3 years of free golf. So, the man behind the counter pushed a few buttons on a register and said, "That will be $84.00."

<<<<<insert GASP>>>>>

WTH???  I was committed by this point. What could I do? Nothing - which is exactly what I did. Swiped the card and played some golf. I hope Charlie doesn't pay this much when HE plays golf.

Plus - they charge $42 per person and they don't allow you to bring your own liquor??? Thank God my mother knows how to break a few rules. She showed up with a bottle of Goldschlager hidden in her golf bag. I love her. She rocks.

My Twenty today? 18 holes of Golf and a sunburn. As crappy as I shot, I'm sure I walked a good 2-3 miles...and definitely got a nice farmer's tan in the process. I lost 3 balls and par'd once. I also woke up another 2 pounds lighter than I was two days ago. Booyah!

Have a great weekend, peeps. Headed to Lake City for some R&R and I'm sure I'll be shooting one of Charlie's new guns out in the cow pasture. Photos and blogs to come.

Day 73 - Pimples & Periods

She's BAAAaaaaaaccckkkk.
The grouchy monster has arrived... right on schedule. While this means very bad things for those around me, it means 4-5 days of sassy, spicy blog posts for YOU! Starting tomorrow, of course.

I was going to head out to the gym tonight after dinner. Instead, I was side railed by a large pimple on my shoulder blade, just out of my reach, brought to my attention by a chuckling 37 year old man who lives in my house, sleeps in my bed and shares DNA with my son... this, coupled with a missing tube of Neosporin and a house full of people who refused to go upstairs and get it for me.

I finally got my Neosporin and Lil C applied the camouflage band-aid for me because no one else would come near me. He hasn't been around long enough to recognize the fact that it was clearly time to run. Big C (Daddy) coincidentally started his exercise regime tonight, and Sierra decided to hang out in her bedroom after I scolded her for leaving her radio on all day long, running up the electric bill.

I didn't make it to the gym, but I did manage the following while watching Cougar Town and New Girl. Perfect timing, ABC. ....... THANK YOU!

40 Kitchen Counter Push-ups
40 sit-ups
30 Planks
30 Sit-Up style Leg Lifts
25 Side Leg Lifts

Most people complain about this time of the month, but I get more done in these 4-5 days than I do the rest of the month.

Day 72 - BFFs & Sweaty Chocolate Cake

Oh yeah. Today was a rebirth. After getting hit with that super-bug last week and into the weekend, it felt GREAT to wake-up today feeling 95% well. The BFF took the day off so I grabbed the rest of my Birthday money and we hit the Hard Rock circuit in the morning.

We love poker. She's better than I am. She's rock solid. Poker is an endurance game, but not in the sense that you might normally hear the word "endurance." It's more of an emotional and psychological endurance.... especially after sitting at a table for 3 hours.

I came home in time to get the house cleaned, get Lil C from the bus stop, fix dinner and hit the gym.

It was good to get back into the gym....flipped on the iPad and caught up on Grey's Anatomy. I'm almost through with Season 6...it's getting better as the season goes on. I started sweating and I swear I tasted chocolate cake. (That was for you, Matt). I am actually starting to enjoy the heat and the sweat. I get hot, and then I sweat, and then I get cool again. It's becoming a cleansing ritual...like a shower from the inside out... only, you need another shower afterwards. While I was walking, I noticed this big football player sized guy next to me. He was plugging away...just like me...watching his own show on his teenie weenie iPhone. I felt bad for him. He must be reading my blog. Hahaha. Wouldn't THAT be funny!

Photo: Me and the BFF - Circa 1990

Day 71 - Harry Potter meets The Beverly Hillbillies

Sunday. Charlie and I decided to go check out the Gun Show at the Florida Expo Hall. I really don't know why I was so surprised by what I saw, but that was a freaky group. What scares me the most is the fact that all of those people were gun-carrying citizens. Some didn't look intelligent enough to get through life, much less have the money to purchase expensive weaponry.

There were those who were clearly hunters, decked out in their camouflage. Then, there were those well-dressed folks who I assumed might be collectors. Aside from those two groups, it looked like Harry Potter meets The Beverly Hillbillies. I think Gandalf from Harry Potter was there...he was wearing overalls.

We didn't stay long.

When we got home, I felt very tired and so I decided that I would rest one more day before jumping back on the wagon full force. My body was telling me something and so I listened. Good thing. I slept for about 2 hours on the couch. I should be good to go tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

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Day 70 - Resurrection

Finally. Saturday night. After spending 4 days and 3 nights on the couch, I finally emerged back into society and enjoyed a nice quiet evening at the BFF's house hanging out with all of my favorite people, eating my favorite foods and playing my favorite (mostly) non-contact game: Poker.

Whatever I had this past week was atrocious. I am still coughing stuff out of my lungs, but I'm on day 5 of antibiotics. Normally I take the first 5-6 days of antibiotics and then stop when I start feeling better. For the first time in my life, I think I'll keep taking it for the full dose. I'm not going to take any chances that this nastiness comes back. I feel like I haven't been to the gym in forever, like I'm starting all over again. It's not a good feeling, but I still haven't gained any weight back. That, in and of itself, is a miracle.

In the past, if I had lost weight using diet pills or other means of quick weight loss, then taken a fall like this for a week, I would have already gained every single pound back and then some. Not this time. I'm starting to think that going at it long term allows for stumbling blocks like this, keeping me from being dragged back to square one. I dig it.

We stayed up until 1am, which was probably not the best idea, but we were having a blast. We'll see how this decision affects my day tomorrow.

Photo is my wine glass. A gift from the bestest of besties. I keep it at her house.

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Day 66 - Truth, Love & Consequences

I'm back on my daily wagon, but, boy, am I feeling the repercussions of eating fast food three times last weekend. My wedding band is tight and I can feel the swelling all over my body - especially in my face...around my eyes and cheeks. If you're a chronic fast food eater, there is no way to sugar coat it. You need to stop. On a monthly basis, we might eat "fast food" three times, with two of those times being pizza from Bosco's or Marco's. This weekend, however, I ate fast food 3 or 4 times. We were going non-stop all weekend and fast food was easy and cheap.

In the past, I would blame it on my busy schedule, however, now, I know that it's not because of a busy schedule. It's a simple lack of preparation on my part. It's not difficult to pack a lunch and a few snacks in a cooler and throw it in the back of the car. It would take less than 10 minutes to prepare lunch and snacks for the entire family, pack it in a cooler and put it in my car. Pure laziness. SMH. I'm paying for it now. I'm hoping that if I drink lots of extra water this week, I can flush out the swelling and get back to feeling normal.

I hit the treadmill again today. Managed 45 minutes before my episode ended. While I was walking, an older gentleman opened the door and just stood there. I watched, curious as to what he was doing. Turns out he was holding the door for an older heavyset lady, who I assumed was his wife. She came into the gym on a motorized wheelchair. My heart broke. Here is this man, who loves his wife so much that he loads her into the car, drives her to the community gym, helps her out of the car and onto her wheelchair, and then helps her squeeze into the gym (it's a tight entrance...but I'll be up there tomorrow to re-arrange the equipment for her). He goes to, what I can imagine, a great extent, just so she can do pull-down exercises while sitting in her wheelchair. You could tell that they had been at this routine for a while because once she was in, he let her go her own way. She did her arm exercises while he did the elliptical. They didn't speak. They didn't smile. Then they left.

I don't want to be that couple. When Charlie and I retire, I want us to be physically healthy. I want to go on cruises and travel the world, not be confined to a wheelchair. I want to believe that 2012 will be my turning point. 300 days to go.

Photo courtesy: www.sodahead.com

Day 60 - IN YO' FACE

I spent much of today getting my two photography blogs up and running, with tags and keywords and content and photos and links and OMG. I was so drained by 4pm that I could barely keep my eyes open. Managed to cook Charlie some dinner, chat with the BFF for a few minutes, make plans for the weekend and then had to head out to my 8:15pm hair appointment.

As soon as I got there, I was graced with 5 minutes of free time before she was ready to get started. BAM! 25 push-ups. She finally finished wrapping up with her previous client, started my foils, and then about 3/4 of the way through, she had to leave and go mix another small batch of color. BAM! 25 push-ups.

She finished the foil and then headed out to make a few phone calls while my "highlights" processed. BAM! 25 push-ups. She came back in a few minutes later to check the color. "Two more minutes," she says. Guess what... BAM! You guessed it... 25 more push-ups.

Now, if my calculations are correct, that would be a total of 100 push-ups.

BAM! (Or as my 7yr old would say: "IN YO' FACE")

The only problem is, because I was so preoccupied with getting my push-ups in, my stylist and I had some sort of miscommunication and now I'm a brunette. Oh well. I'm down another pound. Still just a total of 7 because of my shenanigans last weekend.

7 lbs in 60 days, not dieting, just eating smart proportions 85% of the time, and eating chocolate cake and ice cream the other 15%. WINNING!!!

Day 56 - Poker, Pizza and Push-ups

Had an amazing night of poker playing up in Dade City at my BFF's house, even though I didn't win. Also met some very cool people, two of which live in my neighborhood in Wesley Chapel. It's a small world, for sure!! I had the entire day to myself and did NOT go to the gym. Regretting that, since I decided to munch on all of the Poker Night goodies, which I'm sure were NOT low-fat or even in the neighborhood of being "healthy."

I DID, however teach one of my new friends how to do Kitchen Counter Push-ups. He made fun of me as I did sets of them in between stuffing my face with bites of greasy pepperoni pizza, so I challenged him to try a few. His arms were hurting the next day. Told ya so, Kevin. They're not for weenies. Try doing 200 of them. My "guns" might be water pistols right now, but come summertime, I'll be packing heat for sure.

It's not often that I meet people that I actually like, so to meet 6 new people in one month - and actually like them all, it's a friendship miracle.  Yay friends!!! Julie is still my favorite, though.

Day 54 - Birthday Mission Completed

Today is my Birthday. I'm 38. I'm ok with that, but ask me again in two years and I might still be 38. My mother has always told me that her 40's were the best times of her life. She said something happens and you start thinking less about what others think, and more about what YOU think. Sounds good to me.

So today, my friend Amanda suggested I walk 4 miles and then get a pedicure. The conversation went something like this:

Amanda: Happy birthday!!!!! Treat yourself - walk 4 miles & get a pedicure ♥

Me: I'm thinking 2 miles and a new pair of kicks.

Amanda: no. i said 4.

Me: Challenge accepted.  

I don't take challenges lightly. I am competitive to a fault. Always have been, always will be. It took one and a half episodes of Grey's Anatomy to get there, but I did it. My legs felt like jello when I finished, but I did it. I had to pull out my inhaler when I got home, but I did it.

Plus, I did it in my brand new kicks!!! I went with Saucony Pro-Grid Guide 5, and donated my old shoes to charity.  Putting my Birthday money to good use!!! Check out my video below.

I wish I could say that maybe I'll lose an extra half-pound, but I know how much pizza and chocolate cake I ate yesterday. I might be back at square one, but I had chocolate cake, so I'll call this a "Win." 

My new kicks:  <3 PINK <3 (And they match my ear buds!!)

My new kicks IN ACTION:

Day 51 - Fried Cheese

I skipped breakfast AND lunch today...surviving on 3 cups of coffee and a diet pill. No joke. Oh, you don't have to tell me how bad that is, I know exactly how bad that is for me...but the fair only comes once a year and so I sacrificed my health for one day in the name of caloric intake. No biggie.

Today had to be hard core because I knew I would be going to the Pasco County Fair with the BFF and kiddies... and I knew I'd be eating some fried bits of heaven. Corndogs and Fried Cheese to be exact. Oh yeah. I did it. I'll probably gain a pound or two...but I have 316 days left in the year to adjust for it. That's .000632 pounds per day. I think I can manage.

Talk about a freak show. If you're in the neighborhood and are into people watching...you have to check out the Pasco County Fair. I have absolutely NO idea how some of these people survive daily life. Lots of crack or lots of inbreeding. Makes me thankful for my crazy-normal life. Love you all. Have a wonderful week!!!

Be sure to check in tomorrow to see how much a corndog and fried cheese can wreck your diet.


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Day 43 - Alligator Headache

What a fantastic weekend. Celebrating my in-law's 50th wedding anniversary and getting to hang out with all of the people that we don't get to see enough of throughout the year.... *sigh*

The day started out slow... had to go through the recovery process after partying like rock stars the night before. Watched the original subtitled "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" then headed out to The Florida Aquarium with the entire family. LOVE that place...except for those darn alligators. I walked up behind all the kids to see what they were so interested in. I poked my head through the wall of cousins and WHAM!! Gator eyeballs two feet away....looking right at me. My heart skipped a beat then nearly jumped out of my chest. My skin got really hot and then tingly and my head started pounding. I'm not too fond of alligators, as some of you may know. That headache lingered for a couple of hours...

I have to give a shout out to my sister-in-law, Mary, for stepping up to the plate and joining me on my "twenty" - Although it was short lived, we managed to squeeze in a brisk 10 minute walk around the neighborhood and then returned to do 50 kitchen counter push-ups. When questioned about what I was doing, my other sister-in-law, Carrie, explained that they were my "kitchen counter push-ups." She reads my blog!! Yay. Feels good to share and know that people are reading!! Finished off the weekend with some yumalicious pasta with cappicola meatballs at Aunt Toni's!!! We've been eating low-carb in our house for months, so it was hard not to slip into a carbohydrate coma.

Gonna miss that bunch. Hoping to get together again this summer sometime!

Day 42 - The 50 Year Anniversary

Seriously. 50 years. I don't know what their secret is, but I plan to be there in 41 years...or is it 42??? What gets me is the the 7 years that Charlie and I were together BEFORE we got married. We earned those years, darn it.

So, today was a rest day...not planned in advance, but a rest day none the less. I woke early and then headed out to the University of Tampa for a Photography class field trip. It was fun, but I didn't really learn anything other than the fact that if you go to the concrete amphitheater in downtown Tampa and stand in this one particular square, the audio echo when you speak comes back - directly into your ears like you have headphones on and you can hear yourself speaking. It's wild. One step to the left, and it doesn't work. It was very cool.

After class, I had to rush home & clean the house to show it for a Realtor that was coming by at 2:45p, then we headed straight up to the clubhouse to start decorating for my In-Law's 50th Wedding Anniversary party. That lasted into the wee hours of the night, of course, leaving no time to take back my twenty. Today, however, I didn't mind. It was a fabulous day all around. Good times with good people and good wine. Cheers, all.

Photo is of the Bride (Meme) and Groom (Papa). Meme with my Lil C and Papa letting a young Sierra play beauty parlor with what was left of his hair while we vacationed in North Carolina. Priceless. Love my life.

Day 38 - Flossing Failure

I never thought it was possible. I walked for 50 minutes without batting an eyelash this afternoon, thanks to my secret Netflix donor. I used to dread 15 minutes...now I am pushing an hour. Yay me!

I took Superbowl Sunday off, then had my time stolen from me yesterday....so I was in a really bad place psychologically when I woke up this morning. I knew I had a busy day and feared another failed day. No more!! The lesson that I've learned so far is that if you have an opportunity in the morning to take back twenty, you need to take it. Yes, there are 500 other things that "could" be done, but you are more important than those things. Yeah - I trumped laundry today. Booya! I'm looking forward to the day when I trump the dishes.

If you're on my Facebook as a "Friend" (http://www.facebook.com/SoulSearchPhotography) then you might know that I went to the dentist this morning. As much as I LOVE my teddy bear dentist (pictured above - Dr. Michael Collins in Tampa - ask for 'Debbie' to be your hygienist. She's awesome!), I loath the disappointing "Your teeth look great...no work for me here!" That's his nice way of saying, "Your gums could use some attention." You see, I floss like I used to work out................... yeah. I said it. I had no cavities for 21 years.... until I got pregnant. Then I got 4 in one appointment, and haven't had another one since. I suppose the Taco Bell Burrito Supremes and the Burger King Chicken Sandwiches weren't giving me adequate calcium. I just hate to floss, and they know it. It's all good. I just pay an extra $88 a year for a third yearly cleaning. I suppose it would be cheaper to buy floss, but I really wouldn't know. That was just Charlie's opinion when he saw the receipt on the counter tonight....meant to hide that one. Ooops.

Are you Taking Back Twenty? or Thirty? or Forty? Please leave me a comment letting me know if this is helping you. If you don't, I may just start blogging about flossing my teeth.

Day 35 - Your Children Will Become You

The BFF and I took our families to the Monster Truck Show tonight. As we were about to enter the complex, we were faced with the decision of either standing in line to go up the escalator or walk up the 30 degree incline ramp. What came out of my son's mouth next just about blew my mind. Lil Charlie, for those who don't know him, is my 7 year old son. He is a video game master who hates sweating, team sports, and being outdoors in general. Well, as we approached the complex, Lil Charlie says, and I quote, "Let's take the ramp so we can get our exercise." OMG. It makes me want to cry right now, just thinking about it. This is profound. If any of you reading this think that your kids aren't paying attention to the things that you do and say, think again. Your children will become you. Be who you want them to be. (A modification of my favorite quote from Mahatma Gandhi "Be the change that you want to see in the world).

There was our answer. Little did I know JUST how far of a walk it was. Each lap around was about half the size of a standard track. Add on the 7 layers of ramp and I'd say it was at least a mile walk all the way to the top...at a 30 degree incline, I might add....with 4 kids. I'm sure you can imagine the kids reactions when we got to the top and then turned around to tell then that we now have to walk back down. HA!! They were pissed!

We eventually made our way back down, crossed over to the other side, and then decided to hop on the escalator this time. Ahhhhh...

The show was great. I want to be a Monster Truck Driver!!!

Photo taken from THIS blog page.

Day 29 - A Walk in the Park

Literally. The weather here in Mid-Florida today, in the heart of winter, was a balmy 75 degrees. We packed up the bikes and drove down to Hillsborough River State park. Lil Charlie learned what happens when you mix bike tires and soft sand....the same thing I learned while riding my Harley through soft sand about 7 years ago. Ouch!

We rode around the main loop and then checked out the camp grounds...wondering why we never camped here before...so close to home. Instead, we would drive 50 miles to a campground that looks exactly the same. I didn't think that Hillsborough River State Park allowed campfires for some reason, but there were campfires burning all over the place. I'm thinking that this little trip might lead to a new (and by "new" I really mean "used") camper in the near future.

Missed the BFF today...we'd be attached at the hip if we could get away with it.

Day 28 - Nothing

I have nothing for you for this day. I did get some movement in today, playing X-Box kinect... Boxing, Volleyball and Bowling....catching up on the 29th. It's hard blogging on the weekends!

Day 26 - Time Warp to BHS 1990

BHS.
1990.
Volleyball.
State Championship.

The only differences:
An extra 40lbs.
It's 2012.
We were in my living room.
We are on different teams.

That's me and the BFF in the blurry photo. Her daughter Jenna took it for us. Beggars can't be choosers, I guess.

We decided to use the X-Box Kinect to take back twenty tonight. The game of choice: Volleyball. You see, we played together back in high school. We placed 2nd in State in 1990, so this match got a little heated. She won the first match, I won the second match and the tiebreaker went into quadruple overtime. Final match score: 9-7 Winner: J.V.

I have to admit, I was skeptical and didn't think I would get a good enough workout. Well, let me tell you otherwise...the sweat was dripping from every possible sweat gland on my body. Thinking this might become my workout of choice...at least two or three times a week. In fact, we ended up taking back between 25-30 because we couldn't beat each other.

Tonight was a fun twenty. We all need a little fun in our lives. Doing the same thing every night would bore me, which is why this seems to be working. In 26 days I've had 2 rest days and 1 fail day, which I'm hereby declaring "an unscheduled rest day," and going forward will be known as "PMS DAY" No one knows when this day will come. It will lurk in the shadows, skulking behind you and when you least expect it...... BAM! Kind of like real life PMS. Toodles!

Day 25 - X-Rays and Monster Trucks

One part about getting older that I wish I could change is the amount of time it takes the body to recover. Bang your leg on a table and you have a bruise for 2 weeks. Go out drinking and partying until 5am, and pay for it for 3 days. Pull your back doing dead lifts in November, and you will find yourself at the Musculoskeletal Medicine / Orthopedic Surgeon guy in January. He was my age and he had like 2% bodyfat. Scheesh.

So the nurse took me back into a room and tossed a pair of paper shorts and a paper gown on the table. I looked around. There was no x-ray equipment in this room. WTH? I was going to have to walk OUT of this room in paper clothes. No way. Started thinking that they probably have portable equipment by now and she'll be rolling it in any minute.

Nope.

"Come this way," she says as she opens the door. {o.O} Hoping that we would be going into the room next door, I followed her down the hallway, past a lady and gentleman sitting in another room, around a corner, down another hallway past a few more people and finally made it to the x-ray room. Seriously? As if wearing paper clothes isn't bad enough? You had to parade me around the office too? Julie - I know you're reading this. Please send them a message asking them to not make you change until you get into the x-ray room. Seriously. How embarrassing.

Either way, the x-ray looked good and I start physical therapy next week because a Strain/Sprain shouldn't last for 3-4 months. If there are any x-ray techs out there that see anything abnormal, please let me know. :o)

In case you are wondering, I DID hit the gym tonight. 20 minutes straight on the treadmill, then 60 treadmill push-ups. Arms were burning after 45, so I know they're working. It was infiltrated by a pack of 17 year old high school boys towards the end of my workout...thinking about waking up at 6:30am to take back my twenty tomorrow. Not to mention the 500 calories that I'll save by going to bed at 11pm.

p.s. We got out Monster Truck tickets tonight for the Feb 4th show. Good family fun with the BFF and family. Can't wait!!

Day 24 - Karma Bites

Before I get into my story about how Karma bit me in the rear end this morning, I want to share this little tid-bit about my readers. According to my "stats," I have had readers from Russia, Serbia, Australia, Costa Rica, UK, Germany, Ecuador, Canada and France. I think I know who my Australia and Serbia readers are, but I'd love to hear from the others. Message me and tell me what you think.

Ok....back to gym. As I pulled into the gym this morning, there were two ladies who had also just pulled in and were getting out of their car at the same time. I caught one glimpse in my direction and then make an attempt to hurry towards the door.

You see, there are only 3 treadmills.

Now, under normal circumstances, I would, without a doubt, let someone else go ahead of myself, especially if I thought that they needed it more than I did. However, they had the numbers and my current state of uterine uproar prevented that from happening. As I put my head down and picked up the pace, you could see the one who had glanced in my direction earlier start to fumble something as she tried rushing the slow-poke along to beat me to the door. I failed to take back twenty yesterday and I wasn't going to let that happen again today.

If you've been reading my blog, you'll know who I mean when I tell you that the lady who decided to come join me on the treadmills was the "louder-than-and-more-opinionated-than-Fran-Drescher" lady. In addition to that, her friend had to use the elliptical located about 10 feet behind us and so the "louder-than-and-more-opinionated-than-Fran-Drescher" lady spent the next 15 minutes talking EXTRA loud so that her friend on the elliptical could hear what she was talking about. Her topic of choice today: "Glee (The TV Series) and how Americans are lowering their acceptable standards because she has to fast forward through some parts so her 5-year-old can't see them."


........................{o.O}....................


If you can't see the irony in this, I can't help you.